DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2, and 8-10, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0191255 (hereinafter referred to as Timmermans).
Timmermans, in the abstract, and in [0004]-[0017], [0067]-[0068], discloses the method of forming an EUV pellicle, wherein the pellicle includes a CNT membrane that has a pre-coating (nucleation layer) formed on the surface of the CNT membrane via an atomic layer deposition process, followed by deposition of an outer coating (claimed protective material layer) on the pre-coated CNT membrane. Timmermans, in [0066]-[0067], discloses that the outer coating formed on the pre-coated CNT membrane includes Ruthenium or ruthenium oxide or silicon nitride layer, wherein the outer coating (protective material layer) is formed in a thickness greater than 0.5nm and less than 4nm and is the same claimed material recited as the protective material and is formed in the same claimed thickness on the pre-coated CNT membrane and is used in the same claimed manner i.e., used as an EUV pellicle, and will inherently and necessarily exhibit the claimed 90% transmission in the recited EUV wavelength (claims 1-2, and 8-10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0260927 (hereinafter referred to as Gordon) in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0191255 (hereinafter referred to as Timmermans).
Gordon, in the abstract, and in [0034]-[0035], [0039], and [0064], discloses a carbon nanotube membrane, wherein the carbon nanotube surface is coated via ALD techniques to produce a functionalized carbon nanotube in the membrane so as to produce stabilized functionalized layer (claimed nucleation layer) that has nucleation sites on the nanotube surfaces. Gordon, in [0014], discloses that after the formation of a stabilized functionalization layer on the nanotube surface, the stabilized functionalized nanotube surface of the CNT is further coated with at least one material layer (claimed protective material layer). Gordon, in [0100], discloses the same claimed material as the material coated onto the functionalized nanotube surface and will inherently and necessarily exhibit the claimed transmission in the claimed EUV wavelength (claims 1-2). Gordon, in [0013], discloses the functionalization and stabilization process by exposing the nanotube surface to an oxygen-containing gas and then exposing to an alkyl precursor such as trimethylaluminum (TMA) vapor and cyclically alternating the exposure to the oxygen-containing gas and the alkyl precursor, and Gordon, in [0059], discloses the cyclic ALD technique with a first cycle of oxygen-containing gas, that is then purged with argon, and then a second cycle of TMA vapor followed by a purge with argon and repeating the functionalization cycles to provide the functionalization layer (nucleation layer) on the nanotubes (claims 3-7, and 17). Gordon, in [0011]-[0012], [0014], [0100], and [0103], discloses the coating of a material layer such as ruthenium (claimed protective layer) or tantalum or silicon- containing material on the functionalized nanotube surface, and Gordon, in [0127], discloses that the thickness of the material coated onto the functionalized nanotube surface is less than 5nm (claims 8-9, and 18-19). Gordon, in [0080], discloses that the pulsed alternate dosing of the nanotube surfaces with the oxidizing gas and the TMA vapor can be performed under the same conditions wherein the pressure is maintained at about 10 Torr. Gordon, in [0092], discloses that the cycles of alternating doses of TMA vapor and oxygen containing gas (water vapor) is performed at a pressure of about 10 Torr and for a duration of about 0.2 seconds, and the purge with argon between each cycle can be for about 30 to 50 seconds (claims 11-13). Gordon, in [0037]-[0038], discloses that nanotubes (plural nanotubes) are synthesized and maintained flat on a surface (i.e., a sheet of nanotubes, that are substantially parallel) and can be arranged to enable full coating and Gordon, in [0034], and [0041], discloses that the carbon nanotubes include single-walled nanotubes and multi-walled nanotubes (claims 14-16).
The difference between the claims and Gordon is that Gordon does not disclose that the carbon nanotube membrane is an EUV pellicle membrane. Gordon does not disclose that the material layer (protective) coated includes silicon nitride (claims 10, 20).
Timmermans, in the abstract, [0013], and [0047], discloses that the membrane comprises bundles of CNT membrane and is a pellicle membrane. Timmermans, in [0066]-[0067], discloses that the outer coating formed on the pre-coated CNT membrane includes silicon nitride layer formed in the same claimed thickness.
Therefore, it would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Gordon by using the carbon nanotube membrane as an EUV pellicle membrane as taught by Timmermans because Gordon, in [0039], discloses the CNT membrane supported with a frame and does not prohibit its use in the claimed manner, and Timmermans, in [0014], discloses that the CNT membrane is mechanically reliable and possess the particle stopping function of a pellicle, and Timmermans, in [0003], discloses that the CNT membrane is transparent so as to limit the imaging impact and is a promising pellicle solution that is robust enough to survive handling and capable of stopping particles so as to withstand large number of exposures and that the coated CNT membrane has high and uniform EUV transmission. It would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Gordon by employing the silicon nitride material as the coating material on the functionalized carbon nanotube (pre-coated CNT) as taught by Timmermans because Gordon discloses in [0015], [0073]-[0074], discloses that the functionalized carbon nanotube surface can be coated with a dielectric layer and does not prohibit the coating of a silicon nitride layer, and Timmermans, in [0012], discloses that the coating material is formed so as to completely encapsulate the pre-coated CNTs, and Timmermans in [0021], discloses that the coating material can be silicon nitride and Timmermans, in [0018], discloses that the coating material forms the outer coating on the CNTs so as to enable reliable protection for the CNTS against the hydrogen plasma environment and at the same time does not impact the EUV transmission.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daborah Chacko-Davis whose telephone number is (571) 272-1380. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:30AM-6:00PM EST Mon-Fri. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sally A. Merkling can be reached on (571) 272-6297. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DABORAH CHACKO-DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 June 22, 2026.
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